Don't Jump to Conclusions

It was a surprisingly cold night for June as Toby the kitchen boy in Manon’s Tavern was doing his evening shift, serving tired men and cleaning beer-stained tables with an old rag. It was only around 11 at night but Toby was already exhausted after helping the farmer down the road, who’s wagon wheel had broken and together Toby, the farmer, and his donkey pulled the wagon into the village center.

The kingdom’s most famous knight, Sir Jameson, had returned from a long, tiring journey home for the north. He sat in his usual spot in the center of the tavern, again, bragging about being the kingdom’s bravest and most accomplished knight. Toby put a feast of roast beef with lots of potatoes and gravy down in front of the pompous knight. Jameson grinned and started shoveling the food into his mouth, the etiquette he used in the castle had been thrown out of the window in front of these ‘lowly peasants’.

Toby wished he could have even a small portion of the knight’s wealth. Toby had Strong love for animals. It made him miserable to go to the butchers, for the tavern cook, and see the harmless animals be slaughtered to be eaten when they could be used for milk or cheese. Toby loved horses most and was saving up for one so that one day he might be able to leave this blasted town forever and never return.

His cook/employer was not a nice man. He threw pots and pans at Toby if he ‘slacked’ and had chopped one of Toby’s fingers off for eating a small stale cake when Toby didn’t know it was for the pigs behind the tavern. Toby slept with the pigs and knew that they wouldn’t have eaten it so it was just for the cook’s own pleasure to hurt Toby so badly. Toby had to clean the meat cleaver up afterward, as well as the blood that had prayed over the big wooden workspace.  

Sir Monteith an old cripple, retired from knighthood early after a too-close encounter with the monster he was about to send this pompous Jameson off to kill. He called from the corner of the room he often inhabited, “You can’t be the bravest knight if you haven’t killed Margon, the beast of Westwood. Whoever vanquishes the beast gets all the treasure he protects.” Everyone knew the huge dragon that guarded the treasury tower. “Then I’m off to get my reward. I shall be positively weighed down with riches. Envy me, men!” The knight stood up valiantly, joking with his followers

“You!” The knight pointed at Toby who almost dropped his tray. “I need a servant. A squire if you will. You are to come with me, and you’ll get your reward. and if you prove yourself, things will be looking up for you peasant.” Toby nodded eagerly. “Yes sir.”

 What an opportunity! Maybe this could mean Toby could gather enough coins to never go back to that abusive cook in Manon’s Tavern.

“Do you think I’ll get a horse?” Toby asked the knight as he gave him another jar of stout an hour or two later.

“Don’t speak unless spoken to stupid boy. Yes, you must so you don’t slow me down.” Sir Jameson scowled at him. Toby was shocked at his nasty tone but decided it was better not to question him. There is only one thing worse in the world than a humiliated man, and that’s a knight with damaged pride.

*

Toby rode beside Jameson on a grey dapple called Aster through boggy wood, that lay just outside the farms beyond the village. The knight and his squire had trekked for four days before finding a rough dirt road and following it. It lead them out of the frying pan, of wolf infested tree, poison ivy and mice, and into the fire, literally.  They found a ferocious muddy green male dragon scrambling on top of the Treasury tower that held all of Toby’s dreams in the smoke tainted stones.

           Toby had snuck into the village library that held 11 books while Sir Jameson organized their departure with blacksmith and armorer. Toby had read up on dragons, beasts, and faeries so that he would be totally prepared for anything that might be guarding Toby’s dream. He knew it was a male Dantish dragon because of the yellow spikes tracing the dragon’s spine and greyish horns that curled at his head. And of course, Dantish dragons are the only ones in the region that didn’t have wings.

Shields and swords littered the grass around the tower. The dragon blew a gust of snaking fire down towards them.  Jameson’s horse, Sasha, bucked and ran, throwing him to the ground roughly. Toby jumped down from Aster concerned for the hot-headed knight. Sir Jameson sprinted towards him and shoved Toby to the ground without hesitation. He swung his leg up onto Toby’s horse. “You kill it. My life and more importantly, glorious face, matter more than any amount of shiny pieces gold. Yah!”

 With that, Jameson kicked his leg up onto Aster and yanked at her leather reins. She tried to buck but Jameson held on tightly and they galloped away, leaving Toby speechless in the middle of nowhere without a horse, water, a map, or protection. With an angry dragon.

Toby walked carefully towards the dragon and it growled down at him. What the hell was Toby doing? Toby could be eaten, burned, become one the bloodstains that have darkened the small dirt path that lead the Treasury tower.

But imagine all the bright jewels! Glittering golden coins! Heavy silvers to weigh him down. Top spend on himself. Maybe he could become a knight, a good one not like yellow-bellied Sir Jameson. Taking Jameson’s fame and fortune would be the cherry on top of the cake.

 Toby suddenly had an idea. He was an incredibly smart boy, but you had to be rich to be properly educated. Toby might be wealthy enough for school soon though. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up at the dragon, “Do you want help getting down?”

The dragon stilled and stared down at the small boy. Then it smiled sadly. “Yes, please. No one ever offers. I want to go home.” Toby grinned and started to think of a plan.

But how do you get a dragon down?